James Ward - RIA Cowboy » Adobe AIR http://www.jamesward.com Rich Internet Applications | Flex | Adobe AIR | Java | Open Source | Linux | Enterprise Software | Cloud Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:16:19 +0000 en hourly 1 Time to Update to Flex SDK 3.5a http://www.jamesward.com/2010/02/12/time-to-update-to-flex-sdk-3-5a/ http://www.jamesward.com/2010/02/12/time-to-update-to-flex-sdk-3-5a/#comments Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:44:40 +0000 James Ward http://www.jamesward.com/?p=1538 If you are using a Flex SDK before 3.5a then it’s probably time to update. Flex SDKs before 3.4 have a security vulnerability. I believe the problem is actually in the HTML template, so when you update make sure that you also update the HTML templates that you are using. The Flex SDK 3.4 had the double responder bug. And the initial release of Flex SDK 3.5 had a bug with AIR’s ApplicationUpdaterUI. If you overlay your own AIR SDK on top of the Flex SDK then be aware that you will actually be overwriting the ApplicationUpdaterUI fix (comments in the bug report discuss how to deal with that).

So it’s time to move to the latest Flex SDK 3.5a!

Also, if you are using BlazeDS, LCDS, or FDS then it’s time to update that as well due to a security vulnerability that was published yesterday.

]]> http://www.jamesward.com/2010/02/12/time-to-update-to-flex-sdk-3-5a/feed/ 5 Exciting Flash Platform Advancements http://www.jamesward.com/2009/12/16/exciting-flash-platform-advancements/ http://www.jamesward.com/2009/12/16/exciting-flash-platform-advancements/#comments Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:56:44 +0000 James Ward http://www.jamesward.com/blog/?p=1375 Recently there has been a number of exciting advancements with the Flash Platform (Flex, Flash Player, and Adobe AIR). Here is a quick round-up:

Adobe released security updates for the Flash runtimes: Flash Player 10.0.42.34 and Adobe AIR 1.5.3. The Flash Player update fixes an issue with mouse scroll wheels not working in Flash when using Safari.

Recently, Adobe also released public betas for Adobe AIR 2 and Flash Player 10.1. This Flash Player release fixes the “Incorrect unicode input in Linux” bug. Both AIR 2 and Flash Player 10.1 have a new API for Global Exception Handling (which was one of the highest rated feature requests on bugs.adobe.com). Check out Tour de Flex for some new samples on how to use this new and other new APIs.

For those looking to build Flex applications in the enterprise, Adobe has posted two great resources. First is a third-party study that says enterprise penetration of Flash Player 9 (or better) is at 97.6%! Second is a fantastic white paper about The Business Benefits of Rich Internet Applications – a must read for anyone in the enterprise who is evaluating Flex.

Last is a short video of me at Adobe MAX 2009 where I talk about the progress that Adobe is making in getting the Flash Platform onto the many screens in our lives and why that is exciting for developers. Let me know what you think!

]]> http://www.jamesward.com/2009/12/16/exciting-flash-platform-advancements/feed/ 6 RIAs on the Web, on the Desktop, and in a PDF http://www.jamesward.com/2009/09/13/rias-on-the-web-on-the-desktop-and-in-a-pdf/ http://www.jamesward.com/2009/09/13/rias-on-the-web-on-the-desktop-and-in-a-pdf/#comments Sun, 13 Sep 2009 21:30:51 +0000 James Ward http://www.jamesward.com/blog/?p=1200 Some believe that the “Internet” in “rich Internet application” (RIA) means that RIAs must only run in the browser. However my definition of RIA is not constrained to only web-based applications. RIAs can run anywhere: web, desktop, mobile devices, TVs, or even inside PDFs. Ideally we should have some level of code and library reusability between these environments. However to think that we can reuse the entire application is a pipe dream. Client capabilities and end user needs vary too greatly between these mediums.

I wanted to build an application in Flex that shows how applications can have a high degree of reuse between the web, the desktop, and in a PDF. I decided to build a Mortgage Calculator to illustrate this. Here is the web widget:

From within the web widget you can install the desktop widget or email yourself a PDF containing the widget. Since this application is a small, self contained application (i.e. a widget) the functionality between the different mediums is very similar. In this case I was able to reuse about 99% of the code between the different versions. However, sometimes achieving that level of reuse is not possible due to the differences in client capabilities and the end user needs. This is the case with the Flex and Adobe AIR based Oracle CRM Gadgets, which are for different use cases than the primary Siebel UI.

There are beginning to be more instances where RIA widgets are being reused across different mediums. But this is only one piece of software development. In other instances the capabilities and functionality of web, desktop, and mobile applications vary so greatly that there is little reuse. Either way it’s important to architect our back ends such that they are agnostic to the front end. This is one of the ways RIA and mobile app development have changed the way we build software. It’s a good thing and we should embrace it.

]]> http://www.jamesward.com/2009/09/13/rias-on-the-web-on-the-desktop-and-in-a-pdf/feed/ 16 My MAX 2009 Sessions http://www.jamesward.com/2009/09/01/my-max-2009-sessions/ http://www.jamesward.com/2009/09/01/my-max-2009-sessions/#comments Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:09:16 +0000 James Ward http://www.jamesward.com/blog/?p=1148 MAX 2009 is coming fast! It’s going to be another great event with tons of great speakers and after party fun. Here are my sessions this year:

Also Drunk on Software will be there filming some episodes.

So this is certainly a MAX you don’t want to miss! I hope to see you there!

Also check out the very cool MAX Widget (there are some funny facts about me in there):

]]> http://www.jamesward.com/2009/09/01/my-max-2009-sessions/feed/ 0 Fonts in Flex 4 / Flash Player 10 / AIR 1.5 Make Me Happy http://www.jamesward.com/2009/08/11/fonts-in-flex-4-flash-player-10-air-1-5-make-me-happy/ http://www.jamesward.com/2009/08/11/fonts-in-flex-4-flash-player-10-air-1-5-make-me-happy/#comments Tue, 11 Aug 2009 22:05:52 +0000 James Ward http://www.jamesward.com/blog/?p=1106 Device font rendering in Flash content has always had some limitations, including the inability for text to be correctly scaled, rotated, and faded. Due to these limitations many developers using Flex resort to embedding fonts. But this can really bloat the size of applications – especially when working with non-English languages. Luckily Flash Player 10 / AIR 1.5 added a new font engine! To make using the new engine easy Adobe also created an open source library called the Text Layout Framework, which wraps Flash Player’s low level text APIs. Flex 4 Spark components use the Text Layout Framework for all text rendering. The end result is much better device font support in Flex applications. Here’s a quick example (view source):

Drag the slider to change the scaleX and scaleY on the Panels. Notice how the Flex 3 / Flash Player 9 text jumps around and flickers. And then notice how the Flex 4 / Flash Player 10 text looks wonderful as it scales up and down! That makes me happy.

]]> http://www.jamesward.com/2009/08/11/fonts-in-flex-4-flash-player-10-air-1-5-make-me-happy/feed/ 12 DZone Podcast about Adobe AIR, Flex, and Java http://www.jamesward.com/2009/04/30/dzone-podcast-about-adobe-air-flex-and-java/ http://www.jamesward.com/2009/04/30/dzone-podcast-about-adobe-air-flex-and-java/#comments Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:53:43 +0000 James Ward http://www.jamesward.com/blog/?p=1000 I recently recorded a podcast with James Sugrue for DZone. In the podcast we talk about why Flex and Adobe AIR are relevant to Java developers. You can either listen to the podcast or read transcribed text. It’s good to see DZone doing a lot more Flex related content including the Refcardz I’ve co-authored: Very First Steps in Flex and Flex and Spring Integration.

Let me know what you think of the podcast. Thanks!

]]> http://www.jamesward.com/2009/04/30/dzone-podcast-about-adobe-air-flex-and-java/feed/ 4 The Startup Success Podcast http://www.jamesward.com/2009/02/19/the-startup-success-podcast/ http://www.jamesward.com/2009/02/19/the-startup-success-podcast/#comments Thu, 19 Feb 2009 18:47:07 +0000 James Ward http://www.jamesward.com/blog/?p=737 I was recently able to be a guest on The Startup Success Podcast. I talked with Bob and Patrick about my usual topics: Rich Internet Applications, Flex, Adobe AIR, etc. It was a very enjoyable chat. Give it a listen and let me know what you think.

]]> http://www.jamesward.com/2009/02/19/the-startup-success-podcast/feed/ 0 Upcoming Flex Presos: Colorado, Vegas, Philly, Sydney, and Brisbane http://www.jamesward.com/2009/02/10/upcoming-flex-presos-colorado-vegas-philly-sydney-and-brisbane/ http://www.jamesward.com/2009/02/10/upcoming-flex-presos-colorado-vegas-philly-sydney-and-brisbane/#comments Tue, 10 Feb 2009 16:56:58 +0000 James Ward http://www.jamesward.com/blog/?p=704 Over the next few months there are a number of great technology conferences across the globe. I’ll be speaking about Adobe AIR and Flex at:

I’m also planning a number of Java User Group visits in March and April. I’ll post the dates for those as soon as I get them nailed down.

Hope to see you somewhere along the way!

]]> http://www.jamesward.com/2009/02/10/upcoming-flex-presos-colorado-vegas-philly-sydney-and-brisbane/feed/ 0 Learn Flex Fast – 3 Day Jam in Crested Butte, Colorado http://www.jamesward.com/2009/02/09/learn-flex-fast-3-day-jam-in-crested-butte-colorado/ http://www.jamesward.com/2009/02/09/learn-flex-fast-3-day-jam-in-crested-butte-colorado/#comments Mon, 09 Feb 2009 23:03:18 +0000 James Ward http://www.jamesward.com/blog/?p=695

Bruce Eckel and I will be hosting a 3 day Adobe AIR and Flex Jam in Crested Butte, Colorado – February 25 – 27. If you are learning Flex or diving deeper into Flex then this will be a great opportunity to quickly learn more. For beginners we will work through our book First Steps in Flex. Hopefully see you there!

]]> http://www.jamesward.com/2009/02/09/learn-flex-fast-3-day-jam-in-crested-butte-colorado/feed/ 6 Video: Desktop RIAs on Linux with Adobe AIR 1.5 http://www.jamesward.com/2009/01/14/video-desktop-rias-on-linux-with-adobe-air-15/ http://www.jamesward.com/2009/01/14/video-desktop-rias-on-linux-with-adobe-air-15/#comments Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:01:34 +0000 James Ward http://www.jamesward.com/blog/?p=639 Adobe recently announced the release of Adobe AIR 1.5 for Linux! For us Linux users this is huge! Now desktop RIAs with Adobe AIR work the same on Windows, Mac, and Linux! I recorded a short instructional video that shows how to get it working.


(Original video size is 1024 x 768 so you might want to open it in a new window or tab.)

]]> http://www.jamesward.com/2009/01/14/video-desktop-rias-on-linux-with-adobe-air-15/feed/ 2